Clothesline reel



Sept. 8, 1936. BLACK 2,053,458

' CLOTHESLINE REEL Filed June 19, 1955 -2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 8, 1936. E, 5 BLACK 1 2,053,458

CLOTHESLINE REEL Filed June 19, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 8, 1936 PATENT OFFICE CLOTHESLINE REEL Ethan Egbert Black, Wichita, Kans.

' 7 Application June 19,

3 Claims.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a'windlass for handling a clothes line. The invention aims to supply a device of the class described, so constructed that a twisted wire clothes line of unusual length may be handled. Another object of the invention is to mount the device in such away that it can swing laterally and keep the reel in vertical alignment with the clothes line. A further object of the invention is to improve the tightener and the back stop pawl. The invention aims to supply a device of the class described in which the working parts, as well as the reeled-in clothes line, will be housed and protected from dirt and from the effects of the weather.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appearas the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts'and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made. within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 shows, inside elevation, a device cons'tructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2'- 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line l4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 isla section on the line 55 of Fig.4; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-5 of Fig. 1.

v The device forming the subject matter of this application preferably is madejof non-rusting metal throughout. It comprises a support S, including a bracket plate l having openings 2 by means of which the bracket plate can be attached to any accessible or convenient object. The bracket plate l has outwardly extended ears 3.

, The letter C marks a circular casing, including .a tubular hub 4, having an internal circumfere'ntial recess 5. A fixed annular side plate 6 is-formed integrally with one end of the hub 4 and carries an outwardly convexed rim 5, which overhangs the hub l, Thecasing C has a laterally proj'ecting block 8, received between the ears 3 of the bracket plate I. Pivot elements 9 are journaled in the ears 3 of the bracket plate l and are threaded into the block 8 of the casing C,

the construction being such that the casing C 1935, SerialNo. 27,445

can swing laterally or horizontally, thereby keeping the reel.(hereinafter described) in line with the clothes line that is being paid off or wrapped about the reel.

It can be seen in Figs. 2 ings it! extend across the recess 5 of the hub 4 and roll at their ends on the perimeter of the hub, loose spacers H being. interposed between the roller bearings. An annular side plate I2 is attached to one end of the hub 4 by securing elements l4 threaded into studs I5 on the hub. The roller bearings l and the spacers II are prevented from moving crosswise of the casing C to any great extent, because they are interposed between the side plate 6 and the side plate l2. 1

The side plate l2 does not extend out to the overhanging rim 1 of the casing C, and, consequently, there is an annular space H at one' side ofthe'casing, between the removable side plate l2 and the rim 1.

The letter R designates a reel, including an annular' base ll which turns on the roller bearings'lfl, as Fig. 3 will. show, an easy rotation of the reel thusbeing secured. In cross section, the

reelR is trough-shaped, as Fig. 2 will show. The

reel comprises a wall 08, disposed adjacent to the side plate 6 of the casing C,and a wall disposed inside of the annular plate l2 of the casing. The reel, thus, is housed within the casing. The wall lB'of the reel R has radial openings or slots l9, shown best in Fig. 3. The wall 20 0f the reel R carries an outwardly extended screw pin 2|, on which a handle 22 can turn, the handle projecting outwardly through the annular opening it in the casing C.

The side plate 5 of the casing C carries a socket 23-into which is threaded a tubular bushing 24. A back stop pawl is mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in the bushing 24 and is advanced by a compression spring 26, located with-- in the bushing 24. The back stop pawl 25 has a laterally projecting pin 21 received in a slot 28 in the outer end of the bushing 24 and keeping the pawl from rotating on its axis. At its outer end, the pawl 25 has a manipulating head 29'. The inner end of the back stop pawl 25 is beveled as shown at 36 in Fig. 5, and the parts of the wall it of the reel R that lie between the seats 59 are rounded. a little, as shown at 3|, to cooperate with the beveled surface 30 of the back stop pawl 25, the construction being such that the back stop pawl 25 will click whilst the reel R is being rotated by means of the handle 22 towind up the line; but when the straight side (Fig. 5) of the back stop pawl 25 is in one of the seats and 3 that roller bearl9 of the reel, retrograde rotation of the reel will be prevented.

The side plate 6 of the casing C has an outwardly projecting stud 32, on which a tightener, in the form of a lever 33, is mounted to swing, both parallel to the side plate 6 of the casing and at right angles thereto. The lever tightener 33 is provided with a fixed finger 34, extended inwardly through an arcuate slot 35 in the side plate 6 of the casing C, the finger 34 being adapted to be enagged in any of the ratchet openings IQ of the reel. The tightener 33 is held against the side plate 6 of the casing C (Fig. 2) with the finger 34 in one of the openings IQ of the reel, by a compression spring 36, disposed spirally about the stud 32, the outer end of the spring 36 being engaged by a washer 31 held on the end of the stud 32 by a securing element 38. At its inner end, the spring 36 is supplied with an outwardly projecting arm 39 engaged between two projections 40 on the lever tightener 33. The side plate 6 of the casing C has a stop 4| with which the finger 34 of the tightener 33 engages, under circumstances to be pointed out hereinafter. The finger 34 of the tightener 33 has a beveled surface 42, shown in Fig. 6 and to be alluded to hereinafter. 7

The line 43 may be a twisted wire line of much greater length than customary. The line 43 extends into the casing C through an opening 44 in the rim 1 of the casing, the inner end of the line being made fast by any suitable means indicated at 45 in Fig. 2 to the base I! of the reel R.

In practical operation, let it be supposed that the lever tightener 33 has been swung to the left from the position of Fig. 1, the beveled surface 42 of the finger 34 on the tightener enabling the finger to move readily out of the opening I9 of the reel, and out of the arcuate slot 35 in the casing C, against the thrust of the spring 36, until the finger 34 is in abutment with the stop 4|. The tightener 33 now is in inoperative position and will .be held in that position by the pressure of the spring 36 of Fig. 2.

The operator pulls out the back stop pawl 25, until it is disenagged from the opening l9 of the reel, the back stop pawl being rotated until the pin 21 of the back stop pawl rests against the outer end of the bushing 24. This leaves the reel R free to rotate, and the operator can pay out as much of the line 43 as he wishes.

When the operator desires to tighten the line 43, the back stop pawl 25 is restored to the clicking position of Fig. 5, and the reel R. first is rotated, by means of the handle 22, to take in so much of the slack in the line 43 as can be handled without great effort, the back stop pawl 25 cooperating with the reel, to prevent retrograde rotation of the reel, the slack thus being held.

When the reel R, manipulated by the handle 22, begins to turn with difficulty, the lever tightener 33 is swung back to the position of Figs. 1 and 2, the finger of the tightener 33 cooperating with the openings I9 of the reel. By swinging the tightener 33 back and forth, with the finger 34 in the arcuate slot 35 of the casing C, the reel R may be rotated further, under the increased purchase afforded by the tightener 33, to take more slack out of the line 43 and to render the line taut.

It is to be observed, as shown in Fig. 2, that the reel R is housed in the casing C, within the rim 1. It is impossible, therefore, for the line 43 to uncoil and jump off the reel, when the line is slack. The construction last referred to renders it possible to use a long and somewhat heavy twisted wire line without any inconvenience. The line 43, when wound on the reel R is housed and kept clean.

Practically all of the' reel R, also, is housed within the casing C, saving so much of the reel as may be exposed through the annular opening l6, that opening being provided in order that the handle 22 may be employed.

The device is highly satisfactory from a mechanical point of view, and, moreover, it is an article which will detract nothing from the appearance of the structure whereon it is mounted. A glance at Fig. 2 will show that by taking off the side plate l2, the device may be taken down quickly and be assembled without difliculty.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, a casing including a tubular hub provided with a fixed side plate having an annular rim disposed about the hub and spaced therefrom, there being an annular opening in one side of the casing, between the rim and the hub, a reel U-shaped in cross section and including an annular base provided with oppositely disposed outstanding side flanges, the base of the reel being of such internal diameter that it can be slipped over the hub, thereby to dispose the reel within the casing and to journal the reel on the hub, a lateral handle on oneside flange of the reel and extended outwardly through the annular opening, said side flange extending to the 'rim of the casing, a ring overlapping said side flange of the reel and overlapping the hub, the ring forming the inner boundary of the annular opening, and means for securing the ring detachably to the hub, the reel being held between the ring and the fixed side plate of the casing, against appreciable transverse movement.

2. A device of the class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1, in combination with transverse rollers located between the hub and the base of the reel, and spacers interposed between the rollers, the rollers and the spacers being restrained against endwise movement by the ring and by the fixed side plate of the casing.

3. A device of the class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1, and wherein the other side flange of the reel has a ratchet, the side plate of the casing having an arcuate slot, a lever having a fixed pawl extended through the slot and engaged with the ratchet, means for mounting the lever for swinging movement substantially parallel to the side plate, whereby the pawl will impart rotation to the reel, and for mounting the lever for swinging movement at right angles to the side plate, whereby the pawl can be disengaged from the ratchet and Withdrawn from the slot and rested against the side plate when the lever is swung in a direction substantially parallel to the side plate, and a holding pawl mounted on the side plate and engageable with the ratchet.

ETHAN EGBERT BLACK. 

